Editorial: Construction Under Flyover – This Is Scandalous

The decisive action taken by the Greater Accra Regional Minister, Linda Obenewaa Akweley Ocloo, to halt an illegal construction under the East Legon overpass is not just commendable, it is an indictment of Ghana’s local governance system.

That a structure could rise beneath a major overpass, near a police station, in one of Accra’s prime municipalities, with legal building permit in hand, is nothing short of scandalous. It exposes a dangerous truth, planning laws in Ghana are now violated openly, confidently and with official approval.

Linda Ocloo’s unscheduled inspection, which led to an immediate ‘Stop-Work’ order, dismantling of existing structures and moves to revoke the permit, did what the Ayawaso West Municipal Assembly either could not or would not do. This is the heart of the problem.

The Minister herself confirmed that the developers claimed to have valid permits. This raises a far more troubling question than the illegal structure itself: who issued the permit and on what professional basis?

No rational planning officer, engineer, or Municipal Chief Executive can justify authorising construction beneath an overpass, a critical public infrastructure zone meant for safety, visibility, drainage and future expansion. If such a decision was made knowingly, it is criminal. If it was made ignorantly, it is equally disqualifying.

The Chronicle refuses to accept the lazy explanation of “mistakes.” What we are witnessing is a pattern of institutional recklessness that has turned Ghana’s cities into hazards waiting to explode. It is worth recalling that COP Nathaniel Kofi Boakye (Rtd.)  had earlier asked the developers to halt work at the site.

This is not an isolated case. Across Ghana, MMDAs have become factories of poor decision-making. From Accra’s flood-prone slums choking the Odaw basin to Kumasi’s ill-advised developments near the Asafo Interchange, the story is the same, permits issued first, disasters explained later.

Even more alarming is the reported approval of shops built beneath High-Tension Transmission lines at Bayere Junction, in Dzorwulu. This is not poor planning; it is state-sanctioned endangerment of human lives. Only a country that treats its citizens as expendable would allow such madness.

Linda Ocloo must go further. She must summon the Ayawaso West MCE, the Municipal planning officer and the Municipal engineer responsible for this approval. They must publicly account for their actions. And if they fail to offer compelling professional justification, they must be removed from office and handed over for prosecution. Without punishment, today’s bold action will become tomorrow’s forgotten spectacle.

The Chronicle believes Ghana cannot build a safe and modern capital with officials who treat planning laws as suggestions and public safety as an afterthought. If sanity is to return to our cities, impunity at the MMDA level must end.

Linda Ocloo has drawn the line. The nation is watching to see whether the system will defend the public interest or once again protect incompetence and recklessness.

The Minister for Local Government must urgently intervene in this matter. He exercises supervisory authority over the MMDAs and must assert that mandate now, before administrative indiscipline translates into avoidable danger.

This moment must not be wasted.

 

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